HOW TO : Setup your Xtreamer to stream content off Windows (Win7) machines via a wifi network

Update#2 [Apr 2010]: Sent the wireless USB dongle back to their seller in India since it was within the warranty period. They sent me a new dongle, free of cost. Now the whole setup is functional again. The online forum on the other hand was another deal altogether...

Update: My Xtreamer has stopped communicating via wifi after 3 days, without any configuration changes. "Can't get SSID" is the only response I get from the network settings page. The Wifi antenna drivers are proprietary (available for download) and hence I can't isolate the problem to the antenna. 2 subsequent posts to the Xtreamer forum have been mysteriously being deleted without any dialogue/clarification. Verdict as of now: Flaky antenna/connection finder.. wouldn't get this if streaming is your main need.

This post details my skirmishes in getting my Xtreamer (a streaming media player) to wirelessly stream content off my Windows7 laptop via a DLink N-Router. You could hook it up such that the Xtreamer can also access the internet - but I haven't done that. I intend to use the Xtreamer on a local trusted network and internet access on a diff public wireless network.


Step1: Update your Xtreamer firmware. I have version 2.3.1. You download the firmware zip, unzip it to get an .xtr file. Place the file in the root dir of a USB pendrive and connect it to the Xtreamer. Power it on - Main Menu > Settings > System > Upgrade. Browse and select the .xtr file. It should upgrade and reboot.

Step2: Get your network running and get your machine on it. Get your wireless router connected to your PC. Mine came with a CD with a wizard for basic setup.

Next enter the Web Config of the router. e.g. http://192.168.0.1
You would be prompted for the credentials to login into the router. Refer to your memory / the manual as necessary. Make sure you change your router password from the defaults.
For my DLink DIR-615, I navigate via Setup > Wireless Settings > Manual Wireless Conn Setup

• SSID / Wireless N.w name = MySecretNetwork
• 802.11 mode = use mixed b/g/n if you're not sure
• visibility = Visible.

You can hide it / set to Invisible after you've scanned the settings into the xtreamer.
Set SecurityMode = None initially ; till you are positive that you have the network working first.
If you have the network working, secure it. My settings are as...

• SecurityMode = WPA Personal
• WPA Mode = Auto (WPA / WPA2)
• Cipher Type = TKIP
• GroupKeyInterval = 3600 sec
• Pre-sharedKey = supersecretpwd

Save these settings. This should reboot the router. So you'd have to reconnect again to wireless network - MySecretNetwork.
Click on the wireless icon in the tasktray - choose the network. You will be prompted for the password - key in your supersecretpwd

To verify that you're connected. Try getting to your router web config page again in a new browser window. It should work.

Step3: Get the Xtreamer on the network.
From the main menu, Settings > Network > Wireless Setup.

• Select a connection profile: Choose a free slot e.g. Connection2 and press Right to go to the next screen.
• Get Conn mode: Choose Infrastructure (AP) and go Right
• You should see a drop down containing your network/ssid name. Woohoo! Go Right
• Next it will prompt you for the WPA Key (for a secure network). Use the onscreen keyboard to key in your supersecretpwd and hit OK.
• Choose DHCP IP (Auto) at the next screen.
• Now you're at the moment of reckoning. You'd be shown a summary of your choices and asked to confirm. Go Right to test your connection.
• If all goes well, you should see Test Ok and Show Net Info (summary of network parameters).
• Press Enter to complete task.

You should now see
On*: [AssignedIP] as the value for the Wireless Setup property in the Settings > Network page.

Step4: Gentlemen (n ladies) share your folders

• Select the folder c:\MyShare in Win7 and bring up Properties > Sharing > Advanced Sharing...
• Enter a name for your share, a comment if you wish.
• Next click on Permissions and add a credential (user/pwd/domain) that you'd use to access the share remotely. Use a non-guest account. I was not able to get it to work with the default guest account.
  

Repeat the above for all shares.
You also need to turn off at the network connection level

Click on the Network and Sharing Center link on the Sharing tab. Verify the following settings for the current (home or work) profile

• Set Password protected shares = Off.
• Public Folder sharing = On
• File and printer sharing = On
• Network Discovery = On

Tell your firewall to let in the media: Finally, you need to ensure that you're firewall is not gonna play spoilsport. Bring up your firewall.. Kaspersky in my case
Settings > Protection > Firewall > Settings.
Go to the networks tab.
Select your network (which is currently showing as Public). Right click and mark it as trusted. Easiest way to get this over with. Of course if you are accessing the internet this isn't the way to do it. You'd need to configure it at a more granular level. Ok out. You can verify by setting up 2 machines on the wifi network and pinging each other ; if packets are received correctly, you're all set.

Step5: Time to stream
So now you have the PC and Xtreamer on the network, shares created and reachable.

• Press home on your Xtreamer to get to the main menu > Media Library > NET.
• Select My_Shortcuts.
• Press 1 on your remote. Select Add in the popup.
• Use down and right to click the detail button.
• Now navigate back up and enter the username, pwd, domain, File Server IP (ignore the other params) Press Enter in each field to bring up the onscreen keyboard. Use the numeric keys on the remote for the IP addr. Remember this is the set of credentials that you used on the Permissions dialog when you shared the folders.
• Click OK. Save the network setting.

You should now see a shortcut like fileserverIP:username. Select it by pressing Enter. If you've entered everything correctly. You should see a red "Logon successful" at the top-right; below a listing of all shares on that machine.
Sometimes you maybe prompted for a user-name/pwd for an individual share. Not sure why this happens - however enter and choose 'OK and save'. Xtreamer will remember it for you from now on.

You should now see all files in the shared folder. Choose a movie and hit OK to begin the streaming... and yeah it's all set for you to scream in joy!